Is Buckshot Roulette on Xbox?
Unfortunately, Mike Klubnika's popular new horror strategy game is not currently available on Xbox. However, there's always a chance that could change in the future.
Not on Xbox at the moment, but you never know
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We may be into 2024 now, but 2023 wasn't about to let us all head into the new year without giving us one last incredible game to cap off what was undoubtedly one of the best years for gaming in history. That game is Buckshot Roulette, a genius little single player horror strategy indie title from solo developer Mike Klubnika that gives Russian roulette, the heart-stopping game of chance, some clever (and lethal) new twists.
For one, as I'm sure you can tell from its name, Buckshot Roulette replaces the usual revolver with a 12-guage shotgun, using a random number of both live and dud buckshot shells loaded into the weapon in a random sequence to emulate the mechanics of regular Russian roulette. To win, you'll need to do your best to fire the shotgun at your opponent while it's got a live round in the chamber, and leave them with as many dud cartridges as you possibly can. If you're feeling brave, you can even aim the firearm at yourself and pull the trigger — if you do so and only end up firing a blank, you get to skip your adversary's turn.
The mechanics are straightforward enough, but the game spices things up further with random assortments of items given to both you and your opponent. These can give you advantages such as two turns in a row, a peek at what type of shell is loaded, the ability to rack the shotgun, and more. Wise usage of these consumables, as well as paying close attention to the amount and type of shells loaded at the start of each round, is key to victory.
It's a deceptively simple experience that ultimately ends up being very engaging and addicting, but sadly, you can't get it on Xbox, and it's not available on PC through Xbox Game Pass, either. To play it, you'll need to pick it up from the game's itch.io page. It could always get a port to Xbox in the future, of course, but right now it's not on Microsoft's consoles — and honestly, I wouldn't wait for it to be, as it's dirt cheap and extremely easy to run on any computer.
A very similar game that is on Xbox, though, is Daniel Mullins' and Devolver Digital's Inscryption. This deckbuilder is one of 2023's many hidden gem games, and Klubnika even shouts out Mullins' work in Buckshot Roulette's credits as inspiration for the game's development.
Is Buckshot Roulette on Steam, PS5, or mobile?
So, it's not on Xbox. But what about other platforms like PS5, Nintendo Switch, Valve's dominant PC game distribution software Steam, or others?
Alas, the story here is the same. Buckshot Roulette isn't for sale on any of these right now, meaning that going through itch.io is the only way to play the game. While this is certainly disappointing for folks using console or mobile platforms, PC gamers have nothing to worry about as long as they've got Windows or Linux and are fine with purchasing non-Steam games.
It's worth noting that there's a solid chance Buckshot Roulette will come to Steam at some point. This is because Klubnika released Unsorted Horror, a free-to-play collection of five short horror games they'd previously released on itch.io, in August 2023.
Is Buckshot Roulette free?
While many of Mike Klubnika's games on itch.io are free, Buckshot Roulette is not. It costs $1.20 to purchase and play, but honestly, I'd have been happy spending way more than that for it considering how much fun I've had with it. It's one of the best PC games from the end of 2023 and is absolutely worth the asking price, and if you'd like, you can choose to pay more to support Klubnika when checking out.
